Minister Park Sung-jae is seated at the first hearing of the impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Nov. 18. /Courtesy of News1
Minister Park Sung-jae is seated at the first hearing of the impeachment trial held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Nov. 18. /Courtesy of News1

The Constitutional Court held one session of the impeachment trial for Minister Park Sung-jae on the 18th and concluded the proceedings. The date for the ruling will be decided and announced later.

On the same day, the Constitutional Court conducted the first public hearing of Minister Park's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court's Grand Trial Room in Jongno-gu, Seoul, starting at 2 p.m. This took place 96 days after the impeachment motion was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 12 last year.

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae conducted the hearing for about 2 hours and 5 minutes and said, "Therefore, I will conclude the proceedings and announce the ruling date later."

Earlier, the Constitutional Court summarized the grounds for impeachment as considering whether Minister Park's attendance at the Cabinet meeting constituted a violation of criminal law and the constitution, whether refusing to submit documents to the National Assembly violated the National Assembly's Testimonies and Appraisals Act, and whether leaving the plenary session midway violated the constitution and the National Public Service Act.

On the day, Minister Park's side claimed, "The impeachment motion was hastily carried out, and the grounds for it are unclear, so it should be dismissed." They continued, "We only expressed concerns and issues after hearing from the President about the planned declaration of a state of emergency, and there was no prior discussion about the state of emergency," adding, "The Ministry of Justice had justifiable reasons for not being able to submit the documents."

In his final statement, Minister Park said, "The National Assembly didn't take any measures to verify the facts during the impeachment voting process." He added, "For the National Assembly to abuse its power of impeachment as intended by the majority party is to utilize the principle of majority rule for the tyranny of the majority," stating, "It is unclear which actions violated the constitution, and the impeachment was an abuse of parliamentary authority aimed solely at suspending duties."

The National Assembly said, "There are significant constitutional violations by Minister Park that justify his removal." It continued, "Minister Park was present at a Cabinet meeting on insurrection, remaining silent without expressing opposition, and weakened the National Assembly's authority by refusing to submit documents on disallowed grounds," and added, "To leave a cabinet member who undermined the National Assembly as is would be a declaration that constitutional ideals are merely pieces of paper."

Justice Committee Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae urged for the designation of a ruling date for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial during his final statement. He said, "You must be well aware that the entire nation is suffering and stressed due to the insurrection situation involving President Yoon Suk-yeol," and added, "As a member of the public, I ask that you also rule on the impeachment trial of the Minister of Justice as well as President Yoon."